LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – After years of headlines and heartburn for 15 Michigan Republicans, Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel’s “fake elector” crusade slammed into a brick wall. On Sept. 9, Lansing 54-A District Court Judge Kristen D. Simmons, a Whitmer appointee, ruled the electors will not stand trial.
Back in December 2020, the Republican electors signed paperwork as alternate electors, preserving Donald Trump’s legal options while challenges to the election were still active. Democrats branded them criminals, while the electors insisted they were acting within their rights and following advice given at the time. The judge agreed.
Judge Finds No Fraud, Only Citizens Acting in Good Faith
Simmons dismantled the state’s case, saying flatly: “I don’t believe that there is evidence sufficient to prove intent. I believe there is insufficient evidence brought on this record to even establish… what their duties would be.”
She noted that far from being scheming criminals, the electors appeared to believe they were fulfilling a civic duty. The judge also pointed out that the documents themselves didn’t even look like an attempted fraud: “This alternate document doesn’t state it’s an official document of the state of Michigan, doesn’t contain a certificate of votes. No one attempted to forge the governor’s signature, and no one attempted to create a fake seal.”
Instead, Simmons emphasized that the electors acted on sincerely held beliefs and constitutional rights: “I believe that they were executing their constitutional right to seek redress… This is not an election interference case… sending an alternate document… was their intention.”
In her final words from the bench, Simmons declared: “These cases will not be bound over to the Circuit Court. Each case will be dismissed.”
The list of defendants included Republican National Committeewoman Kathy Berden, former state GOP co-chair Meshawn Maddock, as well as Hank Choate, Amy Facchinello, Clifford Frost, Stanley Grot, John Haggard, Mary-Ann Henry, Timothy King, Michele Lundgren, Mayra Rodriguez, Rose Rook, Marian Sheridan, Kenneth Thompson, and Kent Vanderwood.
Outside the courthouse, Republicans were gathered with signs backing the GOP electors. Some read “Stop Lawfare” while others asked pointedly, “Aren’t there REAL Crimes to Prosecute?”
Electors Fire Back.
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The Michigan Conservative Coalition sent out a statement after today’s decision saying, “Two of Michigan’s most outspoken foes to the Democratic Party and Michigan Conservative Coalition’s Directors were among the 15 defendants freed today.”
One of those co-defendants, Meshawn Maddock, said, “Nessel is a legal thug. We all knew from day one that we had done nothing illegal or wrong. Yes, we volunteered to be an Alternate Elector in support of Donald J. Trump. That is not a crime, as much as Nessel wanted it to be one. To corrupt politicians, lawfare is a ‘win’ when the punishment is the process. Their goal is not a conviction, it is pure legal harassment. Nessel’s defeat today was epic.”
“Dana’s Alternate Elector HOAX rightfully died today,” said co-defendant Marian Sheridan. “It is a shame that this corrupt Attorney General got away with her political prosecution of 15 innocent Michigan citizens for over the past two years.”
Nessel’s Reaction.
Nessel’s reaction was predictably not in favor of the judge’s decision. She told reporters, “This was, in my belief, a coordinated attempt to overturn the will of the American people and reinstate Donald Trump as president…”
Nessel said about the defendants, “They lied. They knew they lied, and they tried to steal the votes of millions of Michiganders. And if they can get away with this, well, what can they get away with next?”
Runestad Blasts Nessel’s “Lawfare” Campaign.
Michigan’s GOP Chair Jim Runestad said in a statement on X, “Today, Judge Kristen Simmons restored the public’s faith in our justice system…Nessel’s use of the Attorney General’s office to ruin and destroy lives and reputations of 15 innocent Michigan Republicans is the perfect example of ‘law fare’…this is not only a huge win for these electors but also for justice itself.”
Calling it a “blatant abuse of power” from the beginning, Runestad called out Nessel for weaponizing the legal system to “financially, emotionally, and personally break her political opponents. Her endless harassment campaigns have wasted taxpayer dollars and undermined confidence in the rule of law.”
The full hearing can be watched here.
